ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner this week submitted comments to the Federal Register on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Review of its General Applicability Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Manufactured Products.

“ATSSA strongly urges FHWA to continue the current public interest waiver for manufactured products that do not contain iron or steel,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said in the ATSSA submission. “Especially with the challenge of increasing traffic fatalities in recent years, it is not an appropriate time to potentially hamstring the ability to deploy life-saving devices and countermeasures on U.S. roadways when the [U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)] and state and local agencies are aggressively moving to combat these fatalities.

“If, however, FHWA proposes to alter the current waiver, ATSSA strongly encourages FHWA to continue to exempt transportation products that are incorporated into highway safety improvement projects as defined in 23 U.S.C. 148, regardless of federal program funding source.”

WASHINGTON – House Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves commended ATSSA members on Tuesday for investing the time to take their roadway safety insights to Capitol Hill to share with legislators.

“These are very important,” he said of Fly-Ins. “When constituents come talk to members of Congress, it makes a difference.”

Graves (R-MO) was one of four public officials who spoke on the first day of the two-day Legislative Briefing & Fly-In. ATSSA members also heard from Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy.

Funding information is now available for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, which was approved within the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA).

The Notice of Funding Opportunities was posted Tuesday and gives details on applying for these grants, which are open to state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), local governments, regional transportation authorities, special purpose districts, public authorities with a transportation function, Indian tribes and federal land management agencies (FLMAs).

“Every tool that can be used to help save lives on the nation’s roads is important in our effort to move Toward Zero Deaths,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “We encourage our members to help spread the word to their contacts in organizations that are eligible to apply for this new opportunity.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Safe Streets and Roads for All grants is now open for applications.  The application to apply for this grant is available online via Grants.gov.

This is a $5 billion grant program focused on local vision zero projects that was created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The grant is funded at $1 billion annually through Fiscal Year 2026.

The grant program is focused on helping local and regional governments achieve their vision zero goals and strategies.

ATSSA provided feedback to the Office of Management and Budget on Sunday regarding the proposed rules for Buy America requirements, asking for clarification on four specific issues and noting the importance of roadway safety infrastructure at a time when traffic fatalities are a major issue nationwide.

“ATSSA members are generally in favor of increasing the capacity to procure domestically-sourced construction materials and manufactured products for use on surface transportation projects,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner wrote to Deputy Controller Deidre A. Harrison. “However, ATSSA members are deeply concerned with the breadth and scope of the [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] and the impact it could have on the timely and cost-effective delivery of much-needed roadway safety infrastructure improvements.”

The letter is in response to the NPRM on Guidance for Grants and Agreements – 2 CFR Parts 184 and 200 (Docket No. 2023-02617), which was published Feb. 9. The letter notes that ATSSA members manufacture, distribute and install roadway safety infrastructure devices such as guardrail and cable barrier, traffic signs and signals, pavement markings, work zone safety devices.

“It is important that any new Buy America requirements not have the unintended consequence of hindering the delivery of important roadway construction and roadway safety projects across the country,” Tetschner wrote.